


Tension

by tmwillson3



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-28
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2019-03-24 23:44:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13821963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tmwillson3/pseuds/tmwillson3
Summary: Post TLJ. There's always been this tension between Rey and Ben. Rey was managing it just fine by not acknowledging it, at least until Rose came along. She will thank Rose, eventually.





	Tension

**Author's Note:**

> This is another story inspired by the Facebook group ReyLo Fic Recs. They do "Drabble Me This", and I can't write drabbles to save my life. That's why there's this. 
> 
> This story is inspired by the lovely gif of Pixelrey, page seen below:
> 
>  
> 
> [Prettiness Here](http://websitegoeshere%20.com/)
> 
>  
> 
> I don't own Star Wars or anything else I reference. I hope you enjoy it!

It was all Rose’s fault.

 

Rey could live with that. Definitely.

 

It all started about three months after the Battle of Crait, about two months after Rose had completely healed. That was when Rose found out that Finn had hovered at her side throughout the last month of her healing, and so she kissed him again. 

 

They were a couple after that. 

 

Rey was really happy for them both. She tried not to imagine what went on behind doors between them, but it was hard to do that because Rose is Rose. Blunt and not afraid to talk.

 

And Rose was happy. Very happy. Also very insistent that Rey find someone special.

 

For a time, the connection between Rey and Ben had remained closed. Rey shut it down as much as possible, claiming not to be ready to face him, but she knew what it really was. 

 

She was afraid of him. Afraid to see his eyes again.

 

For a brief moment, at the end of the Battle of Crait, Rey had seen the sorrow in his eyes, and she had wanted to relent. To put what had just happened aside, and seek him out. Comfort him.

 

But that was silly. He no doubt was doing that to trick her into coming back into his clutches.

 

Not this scavenger. He was not deserving of her yet.

 

Then why was it that every time he reached out to her, she felt another part of her walls crumble?

 

The first time had been accidental on both their counts. Both looked shocked seeing one another's eyes, and then she closed her eyes at once, stopping it from going further.

 

After that, he tried. Again and again. Week after week.

 

It was getting harder to resist. She somehow knew that if she didn't start opening herself up, then something would give, at the worst time and place.

 

She was right. 

 

Six weeks after the accidental meeting, with each push from him growing stronger, Rey was outside, enjoying nature. She was about to jump into the lake to cool off, as hot and relaxed as she felt. She was still in clothes, but she was near the edge of the water.

 

Then, suddenly, all sound fell away. All thought focused on the sense deprivation, and he was there, in front of her. 

 

“Rey,” he breathed.

 

He was in awe of her. How was it possible? Perhaps he was just shocked that it had worked at last.

 

“You seem so… alive,” he said finally.

 

She pondered what he meant by that, until she realized that this was the first time he was seeing her in a while, after much time among friends and a regular diet of food.

 

Her face had more color, and she had been smiling, so happy. That was what had set him off. He had felt her overwhelming joy, and he had wanted to share it. See her in the midst of it.

 

She was stunning. She had a little more weight on her bones, still toned as ever, and she seemed so free, wherever she was.

 

“What were you about to do, Rey?”

 

As he spoke, a deep blush filled her face. She covered the heat and dropped her eyes, not wanting him to see her response to him.

 

Nonetheless, he noticed. He noticed everything about her, and she was embarrassed. 

 

He took a step closer, and she froze. 

 

“Just answer my question. I ask for so little,” he said.

 

She huffed at that, and cleared her throat. She tried a couple times to psych herself out, but couldn't without thinking of how he would interpret it.

 

Finally, she bluntly said, “I was about to swim in this lake.”

 

That was all he needed to hear. His face turned red as well, and she was amazed to see his eyes widen in surprise. However, the initial image was followed quickly by a darkening of his eyes that showed exactly where his mind had gone.

 

He liked that. He liked that  _ very  _ much.

 

“i would by no means suspend any pleasure of yours,” he said with a mock bow. “Please, continue.”

 

That sent another rush through her, the low timber of his voice sending tingles through her system. 

 

Bad Rey. Do not remember the sound and quality of his voice later tonight.

 

She crossed her arms, and his eyes tracked the movement of her wrists too closely. It was hard to breathe for a moment. 

 

This was so, so bad. She needed to get rid of him, now.

 

“Care to join me?” she asked lightly.

 

That shut him up. His roving eyes stopped, his body frozen as he considered this, with many images of stripping and playing in the water with her creating a sudden need within him.

 

He was silent a whole five minutes. Rey was sure she had broken him.

 

Then, he was gone without another word. This was the first of many times that she would be, as her mind saw it, Solo’d. 

 

Get a girl all warm and excited, and then do that. Now she  _ really  _ needed to take a swim. She could deal with the tension. It was better than facing it, or worse, doing something about it.

 

A week later, he came back, but this time, she had just finished a strenuous workout, using Poe and two other pilots for lightsaber practice. 

 

Mere child’s play compared to him.

 

“Rey! What is the meaning of this?”

 

Her clothes were rumpled, and sweat drenched her face and clothing. He could hear men groaning in pain behind her.

 

“Why are you here?” she hissed before running out of earshot of the other guys.

 

He followed easily, watching her retreating behind with fascination.

 

“You seemed agitated,” he explained. “I wanted to check on you. Wouldn't want you to suffer your first defeat by anyone but me,” he finished with a slight straightening of his back.

 

She guffawed, shaking her head.

 

“That? Just practice. Preparing myself for your invasion,” she said without thinking.

 

At the same moment, both realized how it sounded. She took a step back, trying to forget the sexual connotation.

 

He stepped closer, alarmed by the thought of anyone touching her beside him, and pleased that she was thinking about him. Preparing for him.

 

“It'll never be enough,” he said, his voice full of dark promise. “You'll never be able to handle all of me.”

 

She needed another lake, pronto. She could handle him, and she wanted to badly.

 

When she blushed and didn't respond back, he continued, “Do you want a taste?”

 

This time, she found the strength to stop the connection. He was  _ not  _ allowed to say things like that without her getting a free shot at him.

 

Or taste. She was amenable.

 

The next week, she was talking to Rose, who had noticed that she was acting a little on edge.

 

“Rey, what's going on? You seem anxious about something. Talk to me.”

 

“I can't. You wouldn't understand,” she started, until she felt the beginning of the connection. “I have to go. Be right back.”

 

Going down the hall quickly, she leaned against a door, ready to face him.

 

“What do you want?” she growled.

 

“My feisty Rey, back to her normal self, it seems.”

 

She didn't want to deal with him right now. The best way to get rid of him was give him exactly what he wanted and feared most, closeness.

 

“What did you honestly think would happen when you proposed to me in that throne room?” she asked.

 

He froze. Recovering soon after, he said, “I saw the possibility of us, of what we could do together. You think so little of yourself. I couldn't let that go on, and besides, we could be so much better together.”

 

Definitely not what she had expected, but he had been honest. She could sense that at least.

 

“I also wanted to ravish you on top of the throne,” he finished.

 

Their eyes locked, and for a few tense moments, they battled. She to restrain herself and school her features into nothing. He to not reach out and take what he wanted so much.

 

“Say something,” he pleaded. “Why did you leave?”

 

“Isn't it obvious why I left?” she threw out. “I thought you were going down a path to the darkness. I won't give myself up to that. Not even for you.”

 

There was a lot she would have done for him. It was unspoken, but there all the same.

 

“So there's no offer I could give you that would make you reconsider?” he ventured.

 

There was, and he knew it. He saw it in how she stood there, trembling. She was fighting herself.

 

“I'm not joining the Dark Side,” she said at last.

 

“What are you afraid of?” he asked. “Power?”

 

“No,” she said simply.

 

She was afraid of enjoying it. Of giving into her passions. She was impulsive to a fault, and he encouraged it. 

 

“Nor am I afraid of you,” she added, feeling a need to justify herself. 

 

“Of course not.”

 

He grinned at that. 

 

“Consider your terms, Rey. I'll be waiting patiently. Or not.”

 

She was Solo’d again. 

 

“What was that?” asked Rose, rushing down the hall.

 

“What, this? Nothing. Don't think about it,” Rey said quickly.

 

“That wasn't nothing. That was  _ intense.” _

 

“I don't know what you're talking about,” Rey said with an air of nonchalance she didn't feel.

 

“Oh, you're into someone. I can tell. You want him  _ bad.  _ I saw that body language, Rey. You can't hide that, and not being afraid of him doesn't help your case. Who is he? Someone else with the Force?”

 

Not knowing how to respond to that, Rey nodded. 

 

“I want him, but I can't have him. It's not right.”

 

“You're human, Rey. A girl has needs. He seems to satisfy them, or would if you let him. You know, it is okay to feel passionately about someone. It gives you something to live for, to fight for. Love is always worth fighting for and saving,” she said.

 

“You're right,” said Rey, struck by Rose’s words.

 

“Of course I am,” she said with satisfaction. “Now, how does Mr. Dark and Passionate really make you feel?”

 

Saved by the dinner bell moments later, the girls ran to dinner, with Rose promising to finish the conversation. 

 

They did. For the whole next week.

 

It all culminated with Rose saying, “He wants you. I'm sure of it. Find out what he's willing to compromise on. After that, get some.”

 

Rey coughed out her water then.

 

A little later, Rey considered what she wanted. Truth was, she didn't know what she really wanted, besides him not becoming full dark. And being with him. She desperately wanted to be with him, after they could agree to not be on opposite sides of the war.

 

As it was, the First Order was searching high and low for the Resistance, and the Resistance had been increasing in numbers steadily. War was coming.

 

The tension between them kept increasing with each meeting. She feared for later ones, of the possibility that she could lose herself in him. 

 

She was in her bedroom when he found her. Why did he keep finding her in these awkward situations?

 

One of these days, she was going to have to surprise him somehow. 

 

“Rey, have you considered my question?” he began without preamble.

 

“Yes, but not to your satisfaction,” she said.

 

“I'll be the decider about what pleases me,” he replied, moving to stand in front of her.

 

“Not in front of my bed, thank you,” she said, getting up.

 

His eyes darkened just the slightest bit, and he seemed pleased.

 

“So many uses for a bed. I'm happy to start a whole host of firsts with you and your bed,” he said magnanimously.

 

“Do you want my answer or not?” she stated.

 

“Yes,” he said, turning serious. “Tell me everything you're thinking.”

 

She knew at some level that he did want to know it all. He was interested in every aspect of her, no matter how minute or minor.

 

He was so close to her now that she stood. They could almost touch. 

 

It was a shame that she couldn't give in to that, to touch again after so long. It would give the wrong impression. 

 

“What I want is something you can't give me,” she answered. “You answer to the Dark Side. I can't ask for that loyalty and devotion.”

 

“Why the hell not?” he exclaimed. “I killed Snoke because I knew what I wanted: you. Not him. I made that conscious choice right after we touched hands.”

 

She gasped in surprise. He changed his loyalties after that? For her?

 

“You  _ would  _ give me that?” she asked in a small voice. Her right reached out tentatively.

 

“And more. Much more. I'd give you the entire galaxy if I thought it would help.”

 

He removed a glove and captured her hand with his left. He held on tightly, savoring the feel of her skin at long last.

 

It was as close to completion as he would have with her for the time being. 

 

“But we're on opposite sides of the war. You can't do that when a whole army depends on you.”

 

Her eyes sought his, and he shook his head. His other hand pulled her against his body, needing to feel closer to her.

 

“I'll do as I please. It's not about them. It's about what's right for us first, and secondly the galaxy.”

 

His right hand massaged a circle around her hip, trying slowly to press her even closer to him. Closer to his hips, to the aching need he felt for her.

 

Rey felt his subtle pull, and she was defenseless against it. She wanted it just as bad as he did. She let his hand guide her closer, and she felt the warmth that covered her body, and was slowly filling her as well. 

 

His eyes were pleading with her again.

 

She paused, trying to breathe. She needed a clear head.

 

“As much as I want you, I'll never be able to fully give myself to you until all this killing is done. I want a level field, without us trying to manipulate the other into giving something up.”

He pulled away with a frown.

 

“This fight between good and evil will never end. It spans generations before us. We can try to end it together, if that's what you wish.”

 

“How?” 

 

“I don't know yet, but I'll consider it for next time. Until then, think dark, sinful things about me, as I am of you,” he tossed out, his voice a caress. A slight smile and a cocky tilt of his head completed the image to send more shivers of excitement through her body.

 

Which all died immediately when she realized that she had been Solo'd again.

 

She sat down on her bed in a daze, full of frustration and need. She sat until someone knocked.

 

“Rey? I found a holovid. Want to watch it together?” asked Rose as she opened the door.

 

Rose would have said more if she wasn't shocked by the look of agony and need filling Rey’s features. Then she saw Rey’s lips move, something about killing him.

 

“The only way you should kill him is by giving him a little death,” she quipped. “Now, let's watch something fun.”

 

Images of half-naked men on the holovid made Rey think of Ben similarly dressed. He was stunning to stare at. Why had she wanted him to cover all that up? Silly Rey.

 

By the next week, Rey was counting down the hours until she might see him again. She wanted to know if he had ideas. She did. 

 

Rose just kept on telling her to take charge and get what she needed. 

 

“Perhaps you should slap him. Oh, or maybe run your hands through his hair. Guys love that. Show him you're ready.”

 

Rey smiled and nodded. Dear Rose.

 

A little later, he was back. Shirtless.

 

Drat this man. He was definitely stalking her dreams. He featured prominently in all of them, usually shirtless. Sometimes other parts revealed as well.

 

He stood there, his face carefully blank.

 

Rey gulped, gritting her teeth and looking down and away. She was about to blush. A lot. 

 

Thanks, Rose.

 

He was secretly pleased by her response. She was aware of him. Good. He wanted her to feel some small portion of what he felt for her.

 

“I've been thinking about ideas to end the war,” she said, not looking at him.

 

She felt him take a step closer, and then she could see his black pants in her periphery. They were tight. Probably warm. 

 

She could do this. Don't get distracted by him and his sinfully tight pants.

 

Too late.

 

A leather glove slid along the edge of her jaw, tickling bits of warmth and jolting her senses. His gloves smelled good. 

 

Her eyes met his with laser-sharp focus at his touch. He was curious, even a little happy.

 

“I'm listening,” he said. 

 

“What about an armistice?” 

 

His face broke into a slight grimace.

 

“It'll never work unless the Resistance is much stronger and has more backers. If they could demonstrate their power, maybe,” he said finally. 

 

“How much power is needed to be demonstrated?” she pushed.

 

“More than I doubt you have,” he sighed. 

 

“Ye of little faith, watch me. So what's your great idea?” she continued gruffly.

 

“We get married. Unite as one publicly and show the outside world that we'll work together. We'll pull ourselves away from the leadership role, and grow old together somewhere quiet, where we can train together.”

 

“The Jedi don't approve-"

 

He interrupted her words with a finger to her lips. She stopped, enjoying the warmth of his finger against her.

 

“Both the Light and the Dark Side disagree with forming attachments. Jedi because of how it leads to passion and feelings that lead to the Dark. The Sith because attachments are seen as a weakness. This bond between us, though, is much stronger and better.  We can choose to be different, just as we choose to help one another.”

 

“You really think a wedding would help?” she asked skeptically.

 

“By itself, no. But tied to an armistice? Yes,” he replied with pleasure. 

 

“Then let's do it,” she said. “I'll talk to who I must. I'll go and-"

 

“Rey, wait!” he cried, grabbing her as she pulled away in excitement.

 

She stilled.

 

“Do you want me, Rey? Are you committed to this? To us?”

 

His eyes begged her to say yes. 

 

“I've wanted you since we touched hands, Ben. To make the vision I had come to life, that we live together and experience the completeness I feel that only comes with you.”

 

Whatever it was that he was hoping she would say, it wasn't quite that. It was so much better.

 

He pulled her into a crushing kiss. As lips battled and tongues tasted, an echoing of the vision was felt throughout Rey. Her body was deliciously warm, and his skin was so smooth.

 

She reveled in it. Her hands sought his chest eagerly, at last learning its secrets. She traced scars, and learned every dip and curve on his abdomen. 

 

His mouth ravaged hers, needing her. His fingers found her loose hair and touched every strand that beckoned to him.

 

When they pulled away panting, both seemed satisfied. 

 

Suddenly, giving in to her passions seemed like a great idea. 

 

With renewed energy, Rey found Leia and began explaining her idea for ending the war. Leia was only too open to the idea, as she had lost so many already. The wedding idea puzzled Leia, but she was willing to go along with it if Rey was willing. 

 

Two weeks later, the deed was done. The might of the Resistance, along with other supporters, finally showed up, and peace talks had begun.

 

They hadn't talked the week before, and she hadn't fought it. She was busy and could not be distracted by him.

 

Now, however, she missed him. She wanted to celebrate with him. 

 

She decided to take charge this time, and she gathered up her strength. She had been working on meditation and stretching out her mind a lot more as she spent more time with Ben.

 

She was ready. She concentrated on him, and found him close. Odd.

 

She felt his awareness. He knew she was seeking him. He opened himself up at once, and then she was there. 

 

He had clearly just come from the ‘fresher, as he was wearing only a towel. 

 

It figured he had black towels. 

 

“Rey. This is a surprise,” he started.

 

“I've been practicing. I'm so tired of you always finding me at the worst possible times.”

 

“If this is you finding me at a bad time, please do it again and again,” he murmured, drawing closer to her.

 

“You ought to feel ashamed,” she said, restraining her hands from going to his hips, where his towel rested comfortably. 

 

“Not in the least. You found me, Rey. You  _ do _ want me.”

 

“Of course I do!” she said in frustration. 

 

His hands found hers, and then he was dragging her to his bed. At least, it felt like a bed. It was soft,  but any warmth she might have felt from it was overwhelmed by him.

 

“You're mine,” he stated.

 

She kissed him in response. If that was the case, then she got to claim him as well.

 

As her hands finally found his hair, she felt a slight bump, coming from Ben’s side.

 

“What was that?” 

 

Her voice was low, her head dazed. She was so close to giving in fully to him at last. The passion that had sparked between them could be ignored no longer, and she didn't want to.

 

“That's my big surprise,” he replied. “I've known where your base was for weeks. I've been searching every galaxy for you, tracing your presence through the Force.”

 

“So all this time, that we've been hiding and worried-"

 

“Oh yes,” he said with glee. “I've known and enjoyed watching Hux fail to find any of you. It was immensely satisfying to watch him get put down a peg as you all showed up. The only thing that could have made it perfect was if you had flown in with them.”

 

She shook her head in disbelief.

 

“I thought I'd compromise the mission, but it seems I did that long ago.”

 

“I'll always find you, Rey. Now, would you like to continue this conversation properly, in person?”

 

“Are you leaving the towel on?” she checked.

 

“Only until you lock the door behind you. Now, come greet your future husband in the hangar. He wants to give you a taste of what's to come.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
